South African President Thabo Mbeki will travel to Saudi Arabia on Saturday for a three-day visit, followed by a stopover in Mali for talks with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, his office said Wednesday, February 14.

Presidential spokesman Bheki Khumalo told AFP the aim of the visit to Saudi Arabia was "to strengthen bilateral relations between two countries." "On Tuesday he will proceed to Mali with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and the president of Algeria for talks with the IMF and the World Bank," he added.

Khumalo said the three presidents would ask both institutions for their support for the Millenium Africa Recovery Program which Mbeki mooted recently at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos as a way for Africa to overcome its problems. The plan argues for the developed world to reward African for democracy and good governance with increased investment and debt relief. —(AFP)